Hartford Man Faces Federal Charges In Vernon Kidnapping

Federal kidnapping charges that carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment were filed Wednesday against a Hartford man accused of snatching his girlfriend's children at knife point Sunday in Vernon.

U.S. Attorney Christopher Droney said two counts of kidnapping were brought in U.S. District Court in Hartford against Stephen A. Bailey, 29, whose last known address was Winchester Street in Hartford.

Kidnapping charges have also been lodged against Bailey in Massachusetts, where he was caught Sunday after leading police on a high-speed chase during which police said he held one of the two children out the driver's side window and used both as a shield to protect himself from police.

Bailey is being held in a West Boylston, Mass., jail in lieu of $1 million bail. He is charged with 19 crimes, ranging from traffic violations to two counts of assault with intent to murder.

A warrant for Bailey's arrest on Connecticut kidnapping charges was also issued in Vernon Superior Court on Wednesday. Droney said his office will negotiate with authorities in the two states to determine which jurisdiction will prosecute Bailey on the kidnapping charges.

The Connecticut warrant, sought by Vernon police, also charges Bailey with two counts of risk of injury to a minor and one count of first-degree burglary.

Bailey is accused of kidnapping the 1- and 3-year-old daughters of his girlfriend, Amy Christensen, from their home in Vernon on Sunday. Police say that before dawn Sunday, Bailey entered Christensen's Loveland Hill Road home, showed her a knife and took her children outside. He then drove away with the girls, police said.

Police later saw Bailey's white Volkswagen Fox parked near a pay phone at a rest area off the Massachusetts Turnpike. With guns drawn, they ordered Bailey to get out of the car. But he held up one of the children to shield himself, then escaped onto the turnpike, police said.

Bailey sped away, sometimes reaching 95 mph as he weaved through traffic in the eastbound lanes, police said. Bailey was arrested after his car collided with a Webster, Mass., police cruiser on I-395. Police said they had to subdue Bailey with pepper spray after he threatened to break the childrens' necks.